Trouble In Paradise

Bill Simmons columns usually get me thinking (and laughing). His latest column prompted some reflection on the Redskins, specifically when he described a situation where it's acceptable to question your loyalty as a fan. Here is one of the Sport Guy's criterias for leaving a team:

"The owner of your favorite team treated his fans so egregiously over the years that you couldn't take it anymore -- you would rather not follow them at all than support a franchise with this owner in charge."

When I read that line, I immediately thought about Dan Snyder and the Washington Redskins. I could probably write book about how Danny-boy has ruined the Redskins, but instead I will give the RoomofZen the results of an informal survey I did across the DC area. The survey spans across multiple racial, socioeconomic, and age boundaries and basically I asked people, “why do you like or dislike the Washington Redskins?”

I posed this question to ten different people, half men and half women, who came from varying degrees of wealth or educational backgrounds. The reason I did this was to somehow verify that I wasn’t the only person upset with the Redskins to some extent. Funny enough, no one said they actually liked the Redskins without commenting on some negative aspect of the team's leadership or owner.

This makes me think two things:

1. People still like the Skins, but really dislike the owner
2. Support for the Skins, because of the owner, may be on the decline

In any event, here are the quotes and I hope it illuminates what the Redskins owner is doing to this franchise:

“There aren't 5 specific reasons why I love the skins. I can't point to specific reasons why except for that like religion, Redskins football was something that my Dad preached and made sure I was a part of before I could walk. My first game was in 84 when I was 1 years old and I have loved them since. I cant say I hate the redskins but my #1 complaint is DAN SNYDER. He is raping the fan base and doesn't understand the relationship between DC fans and the Redskins like Jack Kent Cook did. Redskins fans are a community that stick by their team if they are # 1 or the worst, and since they have been pretty bad the past few years people always stick by them. Snyder views Redskin fansas opportunity to squeeze every penny for his organization. He is the worst owner in the league.”

“1. Snyder's attempts to "buy" a Superbowl by signing over the hill and overpriced former stars (Deon Sanders etc.)
2. The management's failure to commit to any decision they make - cutting players and coaches after one season that wasn't perfect
3. Murdered players
4. Jason Campbell
5. All our receivers besides Cooley are shorter than me.”

“1. The owner's personality and shitty signings over the years
2. Vinny Cerato's player and drafting strategies (see above) and the fact that he still has his job
3. How expensive it is to go to the games
4. How everyone has lost respect for the skins cause of snyder since he bought the team
5. Gibbs failed comeback which sullied his rep as one of the greatest coaches of all time”

“I love the Skins, but I can’t stand the owner, Dan Snyder. Among his many bad qualities, he's arrogant, self-absorbed, selfish, and even flawed as an owner or strategist.”

“1. Football sucks
2. See above
3. Ditto
4. Reference # 1
5. " " "”

“Five reasons: the traffic, the prices, the owner, the lack of hustle, and the lackluster play of the highly-paid players”

"1. Dan Snyder 2. Lack of consistent coaching staff or strategy 3. Prohibitive costs of attending games / lack of available tickets 4. Reckless uses of draft picks 5. Radio broadcasts of games have been inconsistent"